Officials: Church floor collapses during funeral, injures 10

HAMMOND, La. – Authorities say the floor of a historic Louisiana church collapsed during a funeral service, sending a dozen people into a 4-foot deep hole.

It happened in Hammond, where the director of administration, Lacy Landrum, tells The Daily Star at least 10 people were rescued Saturday at the Greater St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church.

The Rev. Shelton Myers tells WBRZ-TV that the hole opened in the church’s foyer. Hammond Fire Department Chief Jesse Hodges says two of them were taken to a hospital.

The church’s website says it opened in 1867 as the first black church in Hammond. Myers says the entire building is closed and needs to be inspected for termites before it can reopen.